emtannie

No, I agree with all of your comments. I use the principles that Peter Canning set out in his " Letter to a Preceptee"

http://medicscribe.blogspot.com/2007/03/le...-preceptee.html

Sirduke - great thread - thanks!

And Welsh, that is a great link to Peter Canning's blog... I am going to send that link to all the preceptors I work with...

Arctic, you beat me to it….

SANDMEDIC, in an effort to explain why you were not being offensive, you just made yourself look worse…

If your intent was to point out that there are other safety items you would like to see, why did you not ask that so that the OP would respond? It would have provided some additional information to the thread and possibly started some good discussion.

Instead, you chose to continue to make comments which you know will be offensive to some… Very professional.

So I ask you – what are the safety features you would like to see in place rather than the FLIR? What do you think would be a better alternative?

It is easy to say “too much money laying around” or “ther are so many other things to make ambulances safe.” I would like to hear what you would prefer. You have twice made comments in this thread without supporting them which leads me to believe that you are trying to be inflammatory rather than productive.

You goota be kidding me...They need some more gadgets on the dash panel...Obviously too much money laying.

Must be a Canadian thing..we wouldn't understand..EH?

LMAO!!

Wow.... that was offensive..... "must be a Canadian thing" "eh".... careful - your maturity is showing....

I know the area that these ambulances work in, and this is definitely something that is going to improve safety when they are travelling.... your post only confirms that not only do you not understand the need for this in that area, but that you do not understand how offensive your comments about Canadians are. You may want to add the book "The Ugly American" to your holiday reading...

I want that! With the number of deer and antelope here, and bad winter conditions.... I would love that on my unit..

Only once have we hit a deer with a patient in the back.... and once was enough... (and I am glad I was not driving!)

Ruff, my prayers are with you and your family...

I am sorry I don't have information, but next time I am at the hospital, I will ask a couple of my favorite docs and see where they direct me.

Neesie, I am so sorry for your loss. You, your co-workers, and Jenny's family and friends are in my prayers.

Big hugs to you.

Annie

You know its post like this that reminds me how infantile those in EMS are. Instead of attempting to understand the psyche of the person as a mentally ill patient, we of course go back to junior high humor and attributes. Even seen this in station houses.

The same old B.S. line of telling them on how to do it correctly. We as health care professionals ? should recognize the seriousness of mental illness and the side effects such as those with bi-polar, clinical depression, and suicidal ideologies is a serious matter.

R/r 911

Well said Rid....

Regardless of what the person's intentions were, whether to truly commit suicide, or a call for help, we have to also remember that there are others involved. The family of this person is devastated by the actions of this person, and will always question what happened.

It is always amazing to me the number of people in EMS who have the "well at least they did it right" attitude, rather than showing empathy and compassion. This callous attitude does nothing to support EMS as a profession. Perhaps this poster would benefit from a little more education in psychology, and a little more effort in caring.

This is truly a sad state of affairs.

Although some posters have said that the parents and the schools are to blame, which I partially agree with, it is much bigger than that. The US has allowed education to not be a worthwhile career choice financially, which has kept many good teachers out of the educational system (much like EMS). Funding has been woefully inadequate for decades, both for infrastructure and maintenance, as well as salaries and benefits.

Years ago, parents told their children "get an education - you will get farther ahead in this world." Now, children are more encouraged to spend time with Nintendo or Wii rather than learn something new.

I know the mantra "no child left behind" and in my opinion, this has been a terrible mistake. Rather than allowing for failure and trying to get that child to master skills at certain levels, we have pushed them ahead, and ignored the fact that they do not know how to read, to spell, or to do simple math. In some cases the child has disabilities which do not allow them to mature at the same level as the other students, and they get "left behind" regardless of being in the same class. The other students, either intentionally or unintentionally, begin to exclude then from their social circles, and they are left out even though the system has pushed them forward.

Solving this has to come from several fronts. Parents have to instill a love of learning in their children, and be role models. School divisions and government have to restructure the educational system. Facilities have to be improved, cirriculums have to be restructured, and staffing needs to meet more stringent minimum standards, and the salary levels have to accommodate the education required. It will be an expensive fix, and the rewards of it won't be seen for a decade or more, which is why it does not happen. Politicians only see 3 - 4 years into the future, and are not willing to take on issues that will take a generation to solve.

Welcome to the city Foz..... we are one big happy dysfunctional family, just like in real life...

And my condolences for you having to work with AK..... :twisted:

In Hammer's defence, she definitely knows me well enough to make that comment.

All good on the meds here!

Then I apologise to Hammer regarding her comment about you.

The OP said “So everyone feel free to weigh in on your experiences, why you think this is, and how/if you try to combat it. If you would rather not post, PM me.”

I have read over the posts in this thread, some several times, to try and understand where each writer is coming from.

When I originally wanted to work in EMS (over 25 years ago) I was told to become a nurse because only men become paramedics. I did not want to be a nurse… so I went a completely different career path. For those who think that sexism is bad in EMS, they should try commercial banking…. I could rant for pages on sexism and discrimination against female managers – from wages to benefits to dress code to outright sexist comments from co-workers and supervisors.

I have been in EMS for 12 years. I cannot think of a specific incident where I experienced sexism during that time.

I feel that if a woman wants to be treated as an equal, she should be an equal… If I want to do the job, I had better be able to do the job, whether it is lifting, or another part of my duties. Pulling the “I am female, so I can’t lift” or “I can’t do that because I will break a nail”… it doesn’t matter….. neither of those are acceptable, and people aren’t sexist for treating you differently then, they are treating you differently because you aren’t pulling your weight.

Dustdevil said “In my experience, those who get overlooked usually bring it upon themselves by failing to take control, and/or not projecting an image of confidence. And it's too easy to blame it on sexism, or being young or small. Don't enable your own failure. Learn to take control instead of blaming others for not giving it to you.”

I agree wholeheartedly with that.

Hammerpcp said “Are we denying that prejudice exists? And if not then why are we trying to discredit any example of it occurring?”

No one is denying that prejudice exists, and no one is trying to discredit it. I find it interesting that you gave several examples of how a male co-worker offended you, but you did not explain how you handled the situation, other than the one who was calling you “dear” and “honey” you asked to stop. Is it because you tolerated the behavior and did nothing to correct it, and then used their behavior and your inaction as an excuse of sexism? Stand up for yourself - and in the situations you described, I hope you did.

Hammerpcp said “I don't believe that men have no right to an opinion on this topic. I just don't put any merit in it until proven otherwise by the individual. For example, I would be interested in hearing what Michael had to say, and maybe Dust if he's taken his meds. Lone star and sirduke on the other hand can keep their opinions to themselves ”

That is a disappointing comment… that was a blatant attack on other posters… commenting on Dust taking meds, and Lone Star and sirduke keeping their mouths shut is unprofessional – the very thing you are accusing others of being. if you can provide a valid reason for your comment, do so… but you are as guilty as the people you point fingers at with a comment like that.

So far, the majority of posts to this thread have been from men, and they have all indicated that they are ok with women in EMS, and they have given valid reasons for the issues they have had with specific women, without blanketing all women in EMS as being the same.

Sexism in EMS does exist… as it does in every other field… however, I do feel that it is something that is not as widespread as some would like to believe. I also feel that some individuals take every comment out of context and turn it into a sexist remark when that was never the intention of the other person. I also believe that some who feel that they get discriminated against or feel that sexism is an issue in their station, that there are larger issues involved – professionalism, respect, self-worth, job performance – all play a role.

Personally, I would rather work with a man than a woman. With men, if there is an issue, you get it out in the open, fight about it if necessary, and then solve it and it is over. With a woman, you can fight about it, and you think you have solved it, and 6 months later it comes out of nowhere to bite you in the ***.

Just my 2 cents.

andyandyandyandyandyandyandyandyandyandyandyandyandyandyandyandyandyandyandyandy

andyandyandyandyandyandyandyandyandyandyandyandyandyandyandyandyandy!!!!!

Happy Birthday! Hope all your birthday wishes come true..

Hugs,

Annie

WOW Kaisu....

It sounds like the service that you are working for is flying by the seat of their pants, and that they DON'T really have any new hire protocols... or if they do, they sure aren't familiar with them.

On hiring, you should have been provided with a new hire package, which outlines all staffing regulations, and orientation and probationary requirements. Any items like the 12 hours in ER should have been outlined in that, if not during interviews before that time. There should have a 3 month review, at which time you and your supervisor sit down and review what orientation has been completed, and what still needs to be done, then a 6 month review. It should all be set up on your first day.

This is NOT your problem - it is your supervisor's problem, and their supervisor's problem.

I know you are between a rock and a hard place right now - your first medic position, and you don't want to rock the boat, and you want to get some experience under your belt. I don't know how hard it would be for you to move to a different service, but I am assuming that that is not really an option.

If that is not an option, please write down all of these incidents in detail. Dates, times, who was there, who said what, everything. I suspect going to your supervisor right now would not improve matters at all, as they are the ones who neglected to make sure your orientation was complete. I would keep a diary of incidents like this, and then, in the event that your supervisors try to dump responsibility on you for anything like this, you can refer back to your diary, and ask them "whose responsibility is it to ensure that the orientation is complete?" "Whose responsibility is it to make sure that all documentation gets to the medical director?" and remind them that you are doing your best to do your job, and that you can't do yours and theirs.

I would hazard a guess that your supervisors and management are medics who have worked in the field a long time, and have moved into management, without the education and skills to actually be management. Being a 20 year medic does not make one a good manager.

It is sad that this extra baggage is getting in the way of you doing what you should be doing - taking care of patients...

Keep your chin up; you are a good medic- you know your stuff...

In your god's opinion, these machines are a waste of time and space. Someone please come forward with a logical arguement for keeping them onboard.

Once again you have presented an opinion without any information to back it up, and then you expect the members of this site to discuss it while you post insulting and inflammatory remarks...

Present a logical argument for removing the equipment, and perhaps people will be willing to discuss it. Until you can do that, you are wasting time and space on this forum.

I do not know who gamedic is, but i did shamelessly steal his/her original post, I thought he/she made sense. It was one of the most provacative posts i read on here, and just like two years ago, it drew the same rage from the so called intellectuals on here.

"Drew the same rage".... *yawn*..... no.... the intellectuals asked you to verify and provide specific information, which you continue not to do.... the only rage is yours.... you make accusations that you cannot defend, and you toss out insults, and then when people show you the lack of substance in your posts, you cry that we are all picking on you. Grow up or go home.

the only generalities have come from people trying to justify an act they know is wrong.

WRONG.... specific generalities that YOU provided have been presented, and quoted back to you, so unless you are saying that YOU are wrong, don't even try that tactic.

but all i hear is diatribes against me, because you have no facts.

Once again, WRONG... several people have spoken up about your generalizations and lack of factual evidence, and provided specific experiences from their own workplaces which you have completely ignored.

Women have faced harassment issues since day one in our business, and most have kept their mouths shut, out of fear of being fired.

I suspect, and freely admit that I have no proof, that you have a very personal issue here, and are using this forum as a way to vent. Whoever you are, I have news for you.... EMS is not the only profession where women have been discriminated against... and been harassed... Women in any workplace have options... they can be professional and discuss it as an adult with the other party. If or when that doesn't work, there is a supervisor that can be approached. If or when that doesn't work, there is a human resources department... specific events must be documented to be effective. If the service that a woman is working for is harassing her and no efforts are being made by other staff or management to correct behaviors, why would she want to work there? Leave, and get work somewhere else.

And enough of the "all i hear is diatribes against me".... sounds like a tantrum.... people asked you to provide facts and information to support your position, and have proven that you have made sweeping generalities. Their requests wer not unprofessional - but your response was.

Just read the post from your own forum -- everyone except one person admitted that it happens in their workplace, and they are proud that it happens.

Really..... can you provide the specific quotes? I re-read this thread... and the discussion was theoretical... No one said "yeah that happens at my station....." Provide the specific quote and stop making generalities to try to support your position....

And, I have seen other staff watching TV that I was not comfortable watching, but I have never seen co-workers watching porn.... big deal... there are probably things I have done which they don't like either.... but, the people I work with are adults. I have two options if I am offended.... go somewhere else - there is always work to be done around the station, or, if it bothers me that much, talk to the person like and adult and try to work out an arrangement that works for both parties. If it is truly a harassment situation, there are appropriate steps to be taken.

I am trying to encourage you to provide basis for your posts rather than generalizations, but it appears that you would prefer to listen to your own voice than contribute to an actual discussion.

Iamyourgod, in your original post you stated:

“As long as we continue to allow this porn in the workplace, we can never claim to be professionals.”

And “Get your porn at home, be professional at work.”

In your second post, you stated: “Right is right, and wrong is wrong. I probably shouldnt have used the term "porn" but instead said anything "R rated or worse".”

And

“I would love to see a "justification" for allowing such shows to be shown in a public/professional workplace.”

In your third post: “This scenario plays out every night in a fire station somewhere.”

- can you provide any statistics to justify this generalization?

- Can you verify this statement? I don’t think so – you are making a sweeping generalization which is inappropriate

In your fourth post:

“If something is not professional at 3pm when the school kids are touring the station, then it is not appropriate at 3am when no school kids are around.”

- when I refer back to your first post, where you said “get your porn at home…” are you saying it is appropriate at home where there are possibly children? Of course that is tongue in cheek… but the point I am trying to make is that you are so busy picking apart other’s posts and on the attack that you are neglecting to defend your own position. Be careful what you say – it will come back to haunt you.

- You made the point do have porn in the privacy of your own home, but then you made comments that staff are to be professional 24/7… so if you are against porn, which is it?

- the station is NOT a public access facility, so your reasoning that the public may see what the staff are watching is a stretch.

In your seventh post:

“I have not given you any background because it is not necessary”

- it is absolutely necessary. Without understanding your background, we do not see the whole picture. You expect us to make decisions based on incomplete information, and then insult us for providing our own opinions.

In your ninth post: “i have only questioned a practice.”

- you didn’t question the practice, you provided an opinion. Refer back to your title to the thread: “BAN HBO and other PRON from EMS/Fire Stations”… not a question… it’s a statement. You still haven’t proven that it is a practice.

In your tenth post: “I see your point, it is a lack of respect --- but isnt part of professionalism being respectful of your coworkers --- if someone were a jehovah witness, and you openly made fun of their religion…”

- isn’t that exactly what you are doing with your SN? Your SN “iamyourgod” is definitely offensive to some, yet you saw it as appropriate.

Provide me with facts supporting that this is in fact happening “every night in a fire station somewhere” and that it is negatively affecting the morale of employees. Provide me with facts that this has gone to court in some form. So far you have provided an opinion, and then demanded that others justify theirs. I am waiting for some justification to support your opinion as so far I am seeing contradictions in your responses.

I am not angry, but I am an EMS GOD, so my tone may sound condescending --LOL ---- I love the phrase "Responsibility to Educate", funny though, it is only used when it gets an EMT/Medic out of transporting a patient.

Hmmmm.... I just saw your last post when I submitted mine.....

I have checked your profile, which gives no information on you. A little background into what exactly makes you an "EMS GOD" and why anyone here should consider you such would be appreciated. What is your education and experience background? What is your management and supervisory background?

Being condescending will not improve discussion.

I would also caution you against making a blanket comment like "I love the phrase "Responsibility to Educate", funny though, it is only used when it gets an EMT/Medic out of transporting a patient." I would like for you to take some time and browse through the forums, and the discussions on quality education and the need to improve education, and take note of the number of high quality educators on this site. I think you will find that there is not any support for your comment as using that as an excuse to not transport a patient is definitely not what we are striving for.

Although this site is welcoming to open debate on topics, and at times the discussion can be heated, I hope that your basis for opinions stems from more substance than "I am an ems god." Give rationale for your opinons, and it will make knowledgeable discussion easier.

I appreciate the feedback, but as i stated, once you start digging into solving the problem, people tend to lose focus on what is important, and that is the patient in front of them. And although the field paramedic may catch most of the abuse, it is not their problem to solve. This post was about clarifying the medic on the scene's role, which shouldnt be anything other than "what is best for the patient in front of me now". How many times have you seen someone get a refusal because it was 3am or because dinner was getting cold back at the station or in the truck, or because the patient wanted to go to a hospital that was too far away. You could make the same excuse for ER nurses having to deal with non-emergent patients in the ER. We can argue all day about whether they should be there or not, or how we can fix the "health care problem", but it is that nurse's duty to provide the best care to that patient, and not make excuses as to why he/she should be able to provide a lower standard of care.

It isn't losing focus to look at the whole picture - yes, at the moment, that patient is your priority... but there is still a big picture. We have to look at how to provide quality, yet efficient service.

At no time did I say we should provide less care... or provide poorer quality service. I gave reasons as to why medics get frustrated, and how we should be looking at the whole picture, and solving the issue. And yes, "fixing health care" is exactly what we should be doing. If we are not constantly striving to improve, we are part of the problem.

As I tell my staff... I don't have a problem with complaining... but if you are going to complain about something, also provide a possible viable solution - this makes staff accountable for their complaints, and they find out that complaining for the sake of complaining gets them nowhere. If they see a problem, part of their job is to be part of the solution.

I agree with your post... however, the problem lies much deeper than this.

There are always (unfortunately) those EMS staff who only want to do the "glory" calls, and don't want to do the run of the mill calls. We have to educate these members that their job includes every patient.

There is also a breakdown in education in a lot of paramedic programs where students don't get enough background in psychology or mental helath issues, or dealing with substance abuse. Dealing with a drunk isn't my favorite call either, but if I can try to look past the surface problem - the patient's drinking - and try to look deeper, I find I am usually more understanding.

You are right - it isn't the medic's problem to budget, plan or deploy units during peak times. It is the medic's responsibility to use time wisely and not be on scene longer than necessary, and return to service most efficiently. Sometimes that becomes an issue of not providing good care when it is the frequent flyer that you have had 4 times this week, and yes, you are tired of seeing them, and rather than being the patient advocate for more in hospital care, you get the run done as quickly as possible and leave them in the ER, hoping that someone else will deal with them. I'm not saying it is right, I am saying that is what happens.

In smaller services, there is also the publicity. Notice how whenever a unit is unavailable for a critical call, it isn't the service that gets hacked in the news, it is the medics themselves? This is also something that needs to be addressed. I have been in numerous situations where public citizens have addressed me personally regarding issues of coverage.. and I refer them to my supervisor to lodge their concerns to the right person. They don't want to talk to the person in the office - they want to talk to, and about, the person they see - the medic on the street...

So, althought I agree with your post, it only scratches the surface. Solving the issue is a lot deeper than "focus on your patient."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!

And that present Terri sent you..... if Don tries to tell you that is him.... he is LYING.. :evil:

And a birthday fax is coming your way! Have a good one!

First... Dust, loved your post (and you know how much it pains me to day that... lol)

Red, you have already realized how different rural EMS is from urban EMS... and I suspect you have already had those calls where you feel like you are in over your head because of the long transport times and lack of backup. This is your head up to improve your education, and to increase your knowledge. Since you have already come here to look for help, I know that this is already in your mind... every patient deserves our very best, so go out and be the very best.

Rural EMS has challenges that are different from urban. Scope2776 brought up some of the urban challenges. I do think, from having worked both urban and rural, that weak medics depend on the "well it is only a few minutes to hospital, and then I can hand off the patient." Rural EMS doesn't have that luxury.. at times, there is no backup. It's you, your partner, and the patient.... for a lonnnnnnggg time...

The rural service I work for has only had helicopter response available for the past year. We have strict guidelines on when it can be called to a scene. Until then we had fixed wing response, which still meant that we would have to package a patient and transport to the nearest viable runway, which at times was up to 40 minutes away. We always have to consider whether waiting for a plane and transporting to an airstrip was more effective than transporting directly to a hospital.

Do whatever you can to improve your education. Look at your region, and ask yourself scenario questions "If there was an mvc in location X, how would I handle it? Where are my resources?" "If I had a STEMI patient, what can I do?" Running those potential scenarios through your head before they happen will be a help too.

I wish you all the best, and welcome to the site!

The professional fate of two Winnipeg paramedics accused of soliciting prostitutes while on the job remains undecided.

Why? I understand the innocent until proven guilty in court... but I don't think the service has to follow that. The fact that they were arrested, and this occurred while on duty, should be enough grounds for termination.

But... on the other hand.... if you are a professional... and you solicit another professional's services... is that really unprofessional conduct?

I loved it.... I think I may show that to my students!

I do have an Advance Directive, and I know most of my family members do as well... My dad had a DNR, and he died with dignity and grace because of it. I do not want to be an ongoing burden to my family, and I do not want them to have to make the decision for me in a time of stress, so I have my wants already written out. Hopefully, if that day comes, it will make it easier for others....

And yes, sis, you DO spend too much time on youtube!